Yoga Speaks when You Listen

Submitted by Mike Munro on Thursday, May 19th 2016

One of the things we all tend to do is think too much. Well, most of us anyways. This shows up when you land on your yoga mat in that arrival post and your mind is still humming along with inner chatter. People often tell me that they want to learn meditation to shut it off, and go blank. That would be nice in a way, yet perhaps to go completely blank might be too extreme?

Instead of trying to go completely blank I have learned that by listening to the breath and the sensations of the body, the mind gets involved in a different kind of dialogue. If you try to go blank you might achieve it for a moment, but what really is the use of going blank? Is that really peace? When you use your yoga poses and practice to listen in on what is going on inside your organism you might naturally step out of the inner chatter and into deeper experience.

So rather than chasing thoughts away I find it more useful to shift gears and give my mind a new focus. The sensations of the breath and body, held with awareness in yoga practice might not completely shut down your thinking. It will create the possibility of a dialogue with our inner being that is often neglected. Your body might have something to say to you, with or without words, that your mind has been too pre-occupied to hear. This would be unique to each person and each day and there is only one way to find out. Time to get to the mat and have that converation no-one else can hear. Namaste.